


Facing the Night

by WARendfeld



Series: Transformers: Armada (Revisited) [20]
Category: Transformers (Unicron Trilogy)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29254122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WARendfeld/pseuds/WARendfeld
Summary: The unknown presents itself as a mysterious new Transformer strikes at the Autobots. As Optimus Prime leads a team to defeat this new foe, Starscream discovers a clear threat to his efforts against Megatron.
Series: Transformers: Armada (Revisited) [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/406828
Kudos: 2





	Facing the Night

Frenzied activity took place within the _Ark_ ’s medical bay, with Red Alert already at work prepping equipment as Hot Shot and Crosswise stormed in, the unconscious Blurr carried between them. Jolt, Incinerator and the Emergency Team followed after them, the former pair carrying the blue and grey Autobot’s severed arm. “Report!”

“He’s been hurt bad!” Hot Shot moved to better lay his comrade out for examination and explained, “That _thing_ , whatever it was, sliced his arm off with some kind of energy blade!”

“Internal damage is extensive.” Riding a rising platform up onto a berth’s operating console as the wounded Blurr was laid out, Firebot elaborated upon the young Autobot’s account. “His servo-motors are damaged, and connecting joints are all but scrapped. We’re lucky he dropped into stasis lock so quickly or we could have a serious problem on our hands.”

Always thankful for small favors, the medic turned to the injured Autobot’s teammates. “I’ll take things from here. Optimus will no doubt want to debrief you on what happened.” Hot Shot started to protest, but was quickly silenced. “I’ll contact you the instant I have news, but right now, I need to work. Go.”

It took a small bit more prompting from Crosswise, but Hot Shot relented. His Mini-Con partner and Blurr’s passed along the severed limb before following. The doors to med-bay slid shut behind them, and Makeshift jumped up onto a console. “So, think you can help him, Red?”

The medic smiled as he looked upon each member of the Emergency Team. “I feel better off with the three of you here than without you.” That brief moment of joy done, he went back to work. “Firebot, Prowl, prep for servo replacement. Makeshift, you’ll find the needed replacement parts in a small cabinet behind you. Longarm, keep an eye on his vitals. I’ve dealt with worse than this, and I’ll be slagged if I can’t save him.”

As Red Alert and the gathered Mini-Cons went to work within the isolation unit, tension began to mount. While he now had the benefit of his old support team back, and had worked miracles even without them, the question remained if he could do it again.

-

Hot Shot and Crosswise had barely stepped out of the medical bay before Optimus approached them. He wordlessly beckoned for them and the Mini-Cons with them to follow him to the vessel’s conference room, where Jetfire awaited them. The Autobot leader took a seat and beckoned the rest to do likewise. “Start from the beginning.”

The young Autobot took a nano-klik to calm himself before beginning his story. “After we arrived in Boston, I had the team split up to narrow in on the pod. Less than a half-cycle in, we picked up on Anti-Blaze’s distress call. I gave the order to have us meet up at Eagle Square. Blurr and I arrived soonest, set up a camouflage shield and waited. I thought we’d ambush the pursuer, either discourage him or delay him long enough for Crosswise to meet up with us. Optimus, I didn’t think –”

“No need to apologize, kid.” While Jetfire tried to be reassuring, he doubted that his words would make that much impact with the young soldier. “You didn’t know what you were up against, and you did the best you could. Besides, you found the Mini-Cons and got Blurr back safe. Given his injuries, it could have been a lot worse. Me, I’m a little more concerned about something that can handle that much heavy weapons fire and make it out with barely a scratch.”

“So am I.” The Autobot leader turned to the two, confident that Crosswise at least could give an accurate description. “Can you describe it? Did you pick up an energy signature?”

Dread became clear on Hot Shot’s face. “It looked like _you_. Well, you dipped in black paint. And that energy signature…” he shook his head. “It was like Sideways. It wasn’t an exact match, but it was close.”

Optimus slid a small data pad over to the young Autobot. “Anything like this?”

It took practically no time at all for Hot Shot to pick up the pad and examine the data it displayed. “Close but no cy-gar. This doesn’t mean there’s three of these things out there, does it?”

“It’s starting to look that way. We found that in the _Exodus_ ’ sensor records, and odds are whatever left it had a hand in it crashing here on Earth.” The Autobot second-in-command crossed his arms uneasily. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but three mechs with similar energy signatures, all connected to our little party? No way is that a coincidence.”

“By this point, I think it counts as enemy action.” Crosswise turned to Optimus and asked, “What now?”

“I’ve sent word to Scavenger and Col. Franklin. We’ve no reason to think this ‘Nemesis Prime’ knows anything about the base under construction in Colorado or our small project elsewhere. Those two units are to keep working for the time being. Until we know more about this thing however, everyone else is to remain here at the _Ark_ until further notice, and we’re going into security lockdown.”

“And what happens when we do know more?” 

The Autobot leader didn’t answer his subordinate’s question, and his next words sounded notably grim. “Crosswise, Hot Shot, Jolt, Incinerator, you’re all dismissed.”

Not one of them was willing to argue with the Autobot leader. They simply rose to their feet and departed without another word. After the hatch closed behind them, Jetfire turned to his commander and asked, “That doesn’t stop his question from being a good one, Optimus. What are we gonna do?”

The Autobot leader was silent, his expression even more grim thanks to the faceplate over his mouth. “For some time now, I’ve been blaming myself for what’s happened here on Earth, the chaos and destruction brought on by the Decepticons and our attempts at retrieving the Mini-Cons. We’ve been lucky this hasn’t deteriorated further, that there haven’t been more human casualties beyond those that have already occurred. Whatever this thing is, it’s clearly out to cause as much chaos as possible, regardless of whoever gets in its way. And now it sounds like it, Sideways and their allies are directly responsible for the Mini-Cons being here on Earth in the first place.” He got to his feet. “I’ve asked Colonel Franklin for satellite tracking on this thing, to see if we can find it. If this monster wants a fight, I’ll give it one.” 

-

“Megatron’s efforts have led us to nothing.” Shockblast took in the gathered Decepticon with his single optic as he spoke. “Look at us. We are outcasts, forced to hide in the shadows and operate outside society. This must end.”

“How exactly?” Hardtop asked. “Last I checked, the Autobots were never too fond of us. When you have the Wreckers trailing after you, you aren’t exactly low on the list of priorities.”

“Our past crimes aside, there is one way to provide us a chance at survival.” The tall Decepticon made certain that his comrades had their optics upon him before he elaborated. “We surrender to them.”

A murmured outcry came from the gathered Decepticons, leading a small Cyberjet in the back to protest. “Give ourselves up to the Autobots? That’d just save the Wreckers or King Atlas a little trouble in chasing us down! They’d still slag us in a spark beat!”

His optic narrowed. “Neither Optimus Prime, nor anyone in his direct command circle, would allow for harm to come to prisoners. And no Autobot would dare contradict him when he has given an order. We are guaranteed fair treatment, perhaps even lightened sentences for our actions. Not even you could argue with that, Wind Sheer.”

The small Decepticon jet shrugged. “Just saying, we’re running a risk with something like that.”

“Friend, I know a thing or two about risk.” Stepping up and trying his best to be charismatic, Oil Slick took a position beside Shockblast. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I lost my business supporting Megatron, my assets frozen without a second thought. And that’s not talking about all the mechs we left behind. We have siblings, cousins, close friends we haven’t seen in ages in fear of capture or attack. We have a chance at getting it back. How can you all pass this up?”

Assorted murmurs came from within the Decepticon ranks, but very few seemed inclined towards following his example. The group finally dispersed and left Shockblast alone with his few supporters, a clawed hand found itself on his shoulder. “They’ll come around, brother.”

The logician, while appreciative of his sibling’s reassurance, shook his head in disbelief. “I am not as certain, Sixshot. Perhaps given time, some of them may come around, but they have lived too long in fear of both Megatron and the Autobots to change their viewpoints so quickly.”

“At least you got ‘em thinking about it, right?” another Decepticon with yellow and purple armor offered encouragingly. A surprising addition to his group, Rapid Run had been among those who joined Megatron early on, and along with a few others had always seemed the staunchest of the tyrant’s supporters. That he was helping Shockblast did not suggest anything positive, but the logician was confident that he could be dealt with if the situation arose. 

Despite the motorcycle’s words, however, Shockblast felt little to be comfortable about. “Perhaps.”

-

“You can’t be serious!” Jetfire almost screamed. “Going after that thing?! Are you nuts?!”

The Autobot leader was not dissuaded by his old friend and sibling partnering his sanity. “It has to be stopped, Jetfire, and I for one am not going to let it continue to rampage about. Blurr’s already been damaged by it, and I’m not going to risk any other Autobots getting attacked. We have too much at stake at this point, between the Mini-Con pods and the situation with Starscream, and what’s stopping this thing from attacking him or any Decepticons that have sided with him?”

The shuttle maintained his silence before shaking his head and relenting. “Fine, but you aren’t going after that thing alone. I’m going with you.” Anticipating his commander’s protest, he elaborated, “If that thing’s anything like Sideways, you’re going to need all the help you can get, and I doubt that oversized Super Mode’s going to be a big help. I’m here, I didn’t go up against Sideways, and I say we throw something at it that it hasn’t seen before.”

Beneath his faceplate, Prime smiled despite himself. “Then we’d better be ready, hadn’t we? Get your weapons fully charged and your systems tuned, Jetfire. We’ve got unfinished business to attend to.” He turned and left the conference room, the hatch barely opening in time for him to pass through as Jetfire keyed in his communicator. As much as he knew Optimus wouldn’t approve, he knew they stood a better chance with help than they did without it. 

-

“Do you think they’re okay?”

Diana looked at the younger woman beside her, pausing in sipping at her second cup of tea for the evening, and smiled reassuringly. Despite it having been less than a half-hour since the departure of Stella’s Mini-Con friends, she could understand why the redhead was worried about them, especially given what they’d no doubt told her about the conflict over them. “Of course they’re okay. The Autobots are the good guys, remember? They’ll look after them.”

“Still, I feel like I just, well –” She rolled a hand in the air, as if trying to find the right word.

“Left them hanging?” At the younger woman’s nod, she gave a small laugh. “I know how that feels.” 

Stella turned to her with curiosity in her eyes. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, who did you leave hanging?”

“My whole class.” The brunette set down her cup in its saucer before she continued. “You remember that mess in Indianapolis last month, the weekend of the US Grand Prix?” Stella nodded. “Suffice it to say, it wasn’t a terrorist attack. It was a far worse scenario for what could have happened out here if things had happened differently. I had a class field trip down there that weekend. It was my idea, my proposal, and a good chunk of the budget. And naturally, when that mess went down, the school system feared that parents would protest their kids being put in harm’s way, no matter how unintentionally. Naturally, I became the scapegoat, and I quit. I stayed in town until the rent went out on my apartment, and then I came up here.”

“You don’t sound too bitter about it, especially with the Mini-Cons.”

“As if it’s their fault the pod was there. I don’t blame people for things they aren’t responsible for, and besides, the pay wasn’t worth the irritation.” She gave a small chuckle. “It was barely worth the headaches. But if it wasn’t for the three kids I was teaching, you may not have met your friends, and I wouldn’t have met the Autobots or the other Mini-Cons.”

Stella couldn’t help but chuckle. “So I have them to thank for feeling special. Who else knows about all this? Besides us and those kids, I mean.”

“A few high-placed individuals in the military and the government, the President included.” Diana grinned. “Plus my cat, but I doubt she’s gonna tell anyone.”

“Yeah, I don’t see cats spilling secrets,” the redhead laughed. “So does this mean I have to sign some sort of non-disclosure agreement? Or are a couple guys in black going to show up and erase my memories?”

“Probably the first one, if it ever comes to that. Odds are better than not that the Cybertronian presence on Earth will become public knowledge, so it won’t matter who knows about them. It’ll take time for them to be trusted, to be seen with anything other than confusion or fear, but they’ll be out there. I just hope that once they do step out of the shadows, the public’s more like you.” Stella looked at her with surprise, and she elaborated, “You aren’t special just because you met them, Stella. So many of us have met them by now, but you saw six Mini-Cons climb out of the bay and you helped them, sheltered them and gave them a chance to get back on their feet without even a second thought. I wouldn’t have done something like that.”

A little embarrassed about the compliment, Stella nervously laughed. “Well, there were a couple times I had second thoughts, especially when Servo got a little curious with my laundry. Then again, you couldn’t blame him. I mean, what need would a robot have for a bra?” 

-

Part of Cybertron’s industrial centers, the city-state of Kalis was the site of numerous Energon refineries and storage facilities. Many Cybertronians, unaligned as well as Autobots and Decepticons, lived and worked within its borders, helping to keep the planet and the rest of the population powered and ready at a moment’s notice. While not as inviting as Iacon or as impressive as Polyhex, the region was nonetheless just as important. And while there was a great deal of security, if one was cautious, they could go unnoticed when visiting it. 

And in some cases, it didn’t hurt to have someone waiting to meet with you and let you get by what he could.

“You sure he’ll be here, Checkpoint?” Blue optics sweeping the area around her and her rifle in hand, Roulette nonetheless felt anything but secure with the area around her. One of the best marksmechs on Cybertron and a member of the Wreckers, she was more than ready for combat. It was waiting around that made her uneasy, even with one of her comrades from the unit providing security for the senior mech. 

The Autobot Security Commander gave her a reassuring smile. “Relax. He wouldn’t bother contacting me unless he had something important. He’ll be here soon enough.”

“I hope so. No offense, but we don’t exactly have free cycles to spend running around doing errands.” Standing beside his fellow Wrecker and armed with twin rifles of his own, Swerve looked more than ready for a fight despite not being a proper warrior. A metallurgist by trade, he was nonetheless included with the unit both as a ready scientist and because, when properly kept on task and on target, he was an able fighter in his own right. “The sooner Landquake gets back from Earth, the better.”

The femme smiled at her teammate’s comment. “Jealous that he got to visit Prime’s team instead of you Swerve, or are you just eager to see if your partner’s back in action yet?”

Checkpoint raised a hand to silence them as he heard the sounds of tires squealing in the shadows, his contact arriving and transforming before stepping into the light. “What kept you?”

“Trying to make sure I wasn’t followed.” Rapid Run regarded the two Wreckers nervously, the femme especially due to how familiar she looked, before giving his report. “I don’t know if you’ve heard anything about this or not, but Shockblast is trying to get some of the other Decepticons under Megatron to break off and surrender.”

“We’ve heard something to that effect.” The black and white semi had been fully briefed by his superior on his recent meeting with Straxus and Wreckage, and while he had his misgivings, he found himself hoping these reports were genuine. “Anyone siding with him?”

“Just Sixshot and Oil Slick so far, but I wouldn’t be shocked if a few other mechs ended up joining him. I’m keeping close just in case, but something tells me he’s serious about all this.” 

“You do that, and keep us posted.” The yellow motorcycle nodded before transforming and driving back off into the shadows, and Checkpoint turned to his two escorts. “Job’s done, let’s head back to base.”

The trio moved between buildings, heading back out into open ground as they went. Noticing a strange look in the femme’s optics, Swerve asked, “Something on your processor?” 

The marksmech shook her head, breaking her reverie. “Just thinking about my sister is all, hoping she ends up with Shockblast before all’s said and done.” 

Checkpoint kept silent from ahead of the pair. He already knew the full details concerning Roulette’s sibling, now calling herself Shadow Stalker, and how she had opted to join with Megatron shortly before the Second War began. Despite her skills, the femme had often been held back due to the fact that her sibling was a known collaborator. He’d even been forced to keep her off his team due to that conflict of interest, and it was a miracle that Ultra Magnus had gotten her for his own. 

“Still beating yourself up over Striker’s choices?” At his teammate’s uneasy expression, the scientist shook his head. “Roulette, she chose to side with Megatron. Whatever happens to her because of it is her fault, and not yours.”

“Knowing that doesn’t stop me from feeling it, Swerve.” She bowed her own head uneasily. “Wherever she is, whatever she’s doing, I just hope she’s safe, and that we don’t end up facing one another before too long.”

“One small comfort of being a Wrecker then.” Their senior officer shifting to vehicle mode and driving off, Swerve followed suit. “We aren’t the ones chasing after the small fry. We just deal with the big fish.”

Hardly comforted by that thought, the femme shifted to her own alternate mode, one most humans would instantly recognize as a silver and blue Dodge Viper, and sped off after them into the night. 

-

“All this for nothing.” After having been updated on the conflict on Earth so far in the _Ark_ ’s Mini-Con wing and hearing the details gathered concerning the crash of the _Exodus_ , Anti-Blaze bowed his head in grief. “When I campaigned for our exodus from Cybertron, I never imagined any of this would happen. I hoped that we’d be able to secret ourselves away on some lifeless world on the edge of the galaxy, far from Megatron’s influence. But I never thought that we would be stranded on this world, that innocent lives would be put in danger.” He turned to the de-facto Mini-Con leader and said, “Sparkplug, if I had known this would happen…”

“Whoa, Boss, quit blaming yourself over this mess.” Stepping up to his team leader, Scythe quickly spoke out to counter the small fire engine’s angst-ridden speaking. “In case you’d forgotten, we didn’t create this problem. That megalomaniacal nutcase came after us, practically lured some of us in with promises of wealth and glory and turned the lot of us into slaves. Even with us out of the equation, Megatron isn’t about to stop thirsting for power.”

“And considering how the Autobots never forgot about us, you really surprised he didn’t?” Glancing about at their accommodations, Checkpoint noted, “Me, I’m just counting my blessings we didn’t run into them back in Boston. Dealing with that psycho Prime clone was bad enough.”

“You and the rest of us.” The yellow Lamborghini turned to Anti-Blaze and added, “Still, us leaving Cybertron was ultimately my choice. Everything that’s happened since then, none of us could have predicted or planned for. All we can do now is stand our ground and fight it out.” 

“But should we?” The politician looked at his old friend with frightened optics “We aren’t warriors, Sparkplug. We have no business fighting wars.”

“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be fighting them when our lives are on the line.” Trying his best to think up an argument based on what he had seen and heard of Earth since his arrival, Sparkplug spoke clearly and calmly, praying that he could convince his friend of his viewpoint. “In the last century here on Earth, there have been hundreds of conflicts. Large ones, small ones, ones that accomplished nothing except horrendous loss of life and ones that changed the planet as its inhabitants knew it forever. The last big one ended sixty years ago, but after terrible loss of life. As many as twenty-two million non-combatants were killed by one of the major aggressors of the war, simply because it was convenient for them. War is a terrible business, but I’d rather fight Megatron now with everything we have than see something like that happen and have him wipe out every living being on this planet just to chase us down.”

Anti-Blaze looked upon him in astonishment. Between Cybertron’s inhabitants being all but impossible to kill and their low population to begin with, he could never even imagine that many casualties in a conflict, especially among non-combatants. “Twenty-two million?”

The yellow Mini-Con slowly nodded. “And the population is approaching seven billion as we speak. If Megatron ever got serious and attacked them, even with their experience in combat and their willingness to carry on despite impossible odds, they wouldn’t stand a chance.”

The politician turned away, shaken and horrified by the thought. “Primus help me, but you raise a valid point. If we could prevent deaths on that scale…” He turned back to Sparkplug. “If we could save lives, then perhaps our fighting is something worth doing. I’ll no doubt regret this one day, but for now, you have my support.”

The Mini-Con leader smiled at his old friend. “Thank you.” He then turned and departed. “Now if the three of you will excuse me, I have a friend who needs a little help with something.”

-

“Energon tanks full, reserve tanks being refilled as we speak. The drain appears to have stopped.” Despite this good news from the readouts on his console within the _Nemesis_ ’ command deck, Starscream was far from pleased. “This still doesn’t explain how the drain occurred. Even if we know who did it, that still leaves the problem of how.”

Looking over the Seeker’s shoulder, Mudflap thought over a few ideas. This wasn’t exactly easy for him, as while he wasn’t among the least intelligent of Cybertronians, he was hardly a genius. He was a brawler, occasionally a builder, and nothing much beyond that. Still, he had one thought on the subject. “On Earth, some humans occasionally try to siphon fuel out of cars and trucks and such for one reason or another. We’ve done the same thing on Cybertron on occasion. Maybe Dualor and his associates are doing something like that here.” 

“Possible, but unlikely. There’s no easy way to access the Energon tanks, and the only way to get it out would be to recharge yourself…” Suddenly feeling like an idiot for not having thought of it before, Starscream quickly accessed the ship’s records. “I must be going senile in my old age. I should have thought of this earlier. Mudflap, you’re a genius.”

Glad for the compliment, the brawler gave a small smile. “So, how are they doing it?”

The records appeared on his monitor screen, supporting the red Seeker’s theory. “The easiest way to get Energon out of the tanks without arousing suspicion would be to recharge yourself. Notice the records. According to this, the recharge units within the Mini-Con wing of the ship have been seeing the most Energon allotment on this vessel, besides the CR Chambers of course.” 

“Thanks to all those injuries we’ve taken,” the crane truck instantly surmised. “But that energy drain seems far too large to be caused by them.”

“Yes, but recall all the parts and components that have gone missing, including spare components for Energon storage tanks. And given the fact that Mini-Cons are far more Energon-efficient than we larger Transformers, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re loading themselves to the peak and then unloading it into an external storage system elsewhere on this moon, probably fueling up whatever assistance they’ve been able to muster and whatever else equipment they’ve built.”

Mudflap found little reason to argue, but suddenly realized one potential flaw in the Seeker’s logic. “But how are they getting on and off the ship?”

“We’ve been conserving Energon like thrifty Insecticons ever since we landed on this moon, and that includes cutting power to specific systems and reducing power usage from other programs, internal sensors included. And given how I was able to sneak off the ship unnoticed, I wouldn’t be surprised if they managed to do the same.” Starscream rose to his feet with an eager expression on his face. “Let’s see if we can confirm that, shall we?”

-

“And that’s the last one.” Relief was clear in Red Alert’s voice as he finished putting the last bit of armor plating into place. The medic stepped back from the medical berth, Blurr having received his needed repairs and restored to full physical condition. Granted, additional testing was needed and he’d need a brief stint in the CR Chamber to complete internal repairs, but the major damage had been undone. “He should be back online within a cycle or so, perhaps even less. Well done, all of you.”

“Was there any doubt?” Looking up from the side of the medical berth, Prowl looked notably pleased with himself. “Between the five of us, we can work miracles.”

Longarm managed an amused and appreciative look at his fellow Mini-Con. “I see time hasn’t dulled your self-assurance.”

The Mini-Con police cruiser laughed. “You kidding? I’m still the best at what I do, and nothing’s going to change that.”

“Let’s tone that down a bit, shall we?” Firebot looked among them and gave a small nudge towards the door with his head. “Let’s let the kid get his rest.”

With a light smirk and a nod, Red Alert led the four Mini-Cons out of the isolation ward. He turned to Hot Shot, who’d been keeping vigil along with Jolt and Incinerator since the end of his debriefing, concerned both as a friend and as a commander. “You can go in, but don’t expect him to talk much.” That having been said, he exited the medical bay with his partner Mini-Cons following behind. 

The yellow Autobot silently walked into the isolation room with the Mini-Cons at his heels, his gaze fixed on Blurr. Surprise spread across his face as the prone robot’s optics slowly came alight, followed shortly by relief. “Had a feeling you’d wake up once the medics were done with you. How are you feeling?”

“Better.” The blue and grey Autobot tentatively twitched the fingers on his right hand, checking the connections. So far so good, but he’d feel better after a hot oil bath. “Did we save the Mini-Cons? Where’s Crosswise?”

“We got them just fine. Crosswise is safe, just off preparing himself for some secret mission. Word is Optimus is going to be chasing after that thing we fought, and if anyone can kick that knockoff’s aft, he can.”   
Looking to his partner with surprise, Blurr asked, “And you spent all this time here, keeping an optic on me?”

“Hey, can you blame me for wanting to make sure my partner was alright? Besides, he’s got more than enough help for that mission of his. They don’t need me out there with them.” Noticing the surprised look on his old friend’s face, he asked, “What, what’s wrong?”

“I can remember a young mech coming under Scavenger’s tutelage, always in a rush to keep his partner’s back and charge into trouble.” With an amused laugh, Blurr asked, “Now here he is, the commander worrying over his troops. You’re turning into Optimus, you know that?”

“I’ve done a lot of growing since then. And now, I’m worrying over my friend. But last I checked, neither of those was ever a bad thing.” A grin forming on his face, he added, “And the next time we fight something like that monster, we’re going to tear it to pieces.”

A determined expression clear in his optics, the recovering Autobot nodded. “And toss the rest down the nearest black hole.”

“Exactly.” Hot Shot gave his partner a quiet nudge on his uninjured arm. “You rest up and recover, Blurr. We’ve still got a lot to do.”

“And I’m not about to let you do it yourself.” A bemused look in his optics, the sniper explained, “Knowing you, you’d get yourself blown up again the next time you’re out alone. I can’t let that happen, now can I?”

“Slagging right.” Hot Shot turned and left, Jolt following. 

Blurr watched them go and then looked to his side to find Incinerator riding a platform to stand beside him on the berth. “Afraid I’ll go somewhere?”

The Mini-Con laughed. “Not without me, you aren’t.”

Blurr gave a small laugh and quietly shut himself down to allow his self-repair systems to work. His work for the day was done, and what remained for him would wait until tomorrow. 

-

As he walked towards the _Ark_ ’s forward landing bay, Optimus Prime checked over his gun’s energy charge, making certain that it was full. Satisfied, he stored his weapon and rounded the final corner to find Jetfire waiting for him at the hatch. “Ready?” 

“Almost. Look, you and I both know this thing’s dangerous. We know the risks. We know this could be a battle we don’t come back from.”

The Autobot leader shot his old friend an expression that made clear his awareness of these points. “And?” 

The hatch opened, the shuttle stepping through and prompting his commander to follow. “And I’m not the only one who isn’t about to let you go off on your own.”

Gathered inside the forward bay were a small collection of Autobots and Mini-Cons. Crosswise quietly popped a fresh energy pack into his plasma caster, Overhaul standing at the ready nearby with claws sharpened. At their feet, both of Optimus’ Mini-Con partners as well as Jetfire’s were quietly waiting, the Air Defense and Race Teams with them. All took notice as the Autobot leaders entered. 

Before his old friend could protest, Jetfire started. “Like I said, that thing’s dangerous. I know you won’t ignore it, and I know that you’ll have a hard time taking it by yourself, Matrix or no Matrix. I’m not about to let you go it alone, and neither are they. Like it or not, Optimus, you’re stuck with us.”

Optimus maintained his silence before finally smiling beneath his faceplate. “You know me too well.” He turned back to the gathered group, their optics fixed on him. “Autobots, Mini-Cons, we all know what’s at stake here. We have a rampaging Cybertronian-like lifeform with a possible connection to Unicron that’s posed a threat not only to us, but the people of this world. If any of you wish to pull out, now’s the time.”

The black Autobot hefted his gun high and gave a confident grin. “That thing hurt one of my teammates. I won’t let that stand. Besides, I can’t call myself a ‘monster hunter’ if I let one get away.”

“This thing sounds like he’ll put up a good fight.” Pounding a closed fist into an open palm, Overhaul gave a similar, if toothy, grin to his comrade. “And I’m always up for a good fight.”

Sparkplug finally stepped up, the gathered Mini-Cons alongside him. “Like it or not, Optimus, you’re stuck with us. Now how about we get this started?”

The Autobot leader nodded, and the gathered troop made its way down the entrance ramp, Vector Prime and Landquake awaiting them. “Let me guess, you two want in also?”

“Me? Yeah, but I figure someone should stay back just in case.” At the surprised look from the others, the large white Autobot elaborated, “I’m not saying you’ll fail or anything, I just…”

“They are fully aware of what you meant, young one.” The ancient Prime turned to the younger as he drew his sword. “I will not be joining you, for similar reasons. Still, there is nothing stopping me from giving you a head start. Besides, we have received word from the colonel and Rollout. The project is done and ready for use.”

“Good. The more help, the better.” As the elder Prime generated a warp gate, Optimus looked towards the southeast. “Let’s hope it evens the odds.” He waved his team on into the generated portal and called, “Autobots, roll out!”

-

“Shadow Stalker?”

“Hmm?” the femme looked up from her seat, broken from her reverie. “Oh, sorry Barricade. I’m just lost in thought, y’know?”

The two Decepticons stood within a small monitor room within their compound, keeping an eye on security footage from the surrounding tunnels and hoping that they hadn’t been noticed. Aside from Rapid Run returning from his recon mission, however, they hadn’t spotted anything of serious note. Taking a seat beside her, the mobile missile launcher gave her a comforting glance. “Did Shockblast’s little rally get you nervous?”

The black and gold Viper shook her head. “Just got me thinking about things. Do you have any siblings left?”

The mech showed some surprise at the question, but saw no reason to answer it. “Unfortunately, I never really had any. I had a mentor once upon a time, who taught me everything I know about strategy, but now the only family I really have anymore are the members of my unit. Why?”

A sad smile. “I used to have two sisters, back before the Outsider Wars. I lost one of them then, Silhouette. The other joined up with the Autobots.”

“Roulette, you mean.” The femme looked at him and he explained, “Family resemblance is a hard thing to get rid of. But what is the sibling of a Wrecker doing in this bunch?”

She shook her head. “Back then, the three of us lived together in Nova Cronum. We were really young, not even old enough to pick a faction. Sil never got the chance to before, well, before the attack.” Optics dimming and shutters blinking in order to hold back cleansing fluid, the femme continued, “I can remember every klik of that massacre, when the city was bombarded from orbit, when those fighters tore through the sky and blasted whatever survivors they found, and being scared out of my processors. I never wanted to be that afraid again.” She looked to him as she wiped away whatever fluid had managed to start streaming down her face. “That’s why I joined up with Megatron. When I heard him speak, when he promised to make Cybertron safe from attack, I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to see something like what happened to my sister happen to someone else. So I joined up, even changed my designation, only now…”

“Only now, you have seen Megatron cause terrible casualties of his own, and by joining him have become an outcast and fugitive.”

The femme bitterly clenched her fists. “I was young and stupid and scared, and I didn’t see him doing what he did. I thought it’d be rallies, and then campaigns off-world, and a safer Cybertron for all of us. And now odds are I’ll get slagged by my own sibling before all this is said and done. It’s a miracle I’m still around, considering all of us who have been caught or killed.” She leaned back in her seat, a frustrated look on her face. “What am I gonna do?”

Barricade looked at the femme with sad optics, fully aware of how similar her story was to his own. So young and stubborn he had been, and foolish enough to not listen to his mentor, Onslaught. “Given I’m in the same situation, I’m hardly the one you should ask.” She looked at him with some frustration before he continued. “You need to look to yourself for answers, not to others. Fortunately, you have time to do so. Your shift’s over.” 

Crestfallen, Shadow Stalker rose to her feet and walked out of the room, leaving the door to slide shut behind her. The remaining Decepticon activated his comm.-line, keying in a secure link that only he and his unit could access. “Combaticons, assemble with me. There’s discussion to be done.”

-

Every world has its places of mystery. Some are created by natural processes, such as canyons and caves carved by erosion over the course of hundreds of years. Others are created artificially, often through purposeful action or the need to maintain secrets. Whatever the cause, there are always places where the unknown is rampant, where the curious and the paranoid and those who seek answers and knowledge focus their attentions for one reason or another. Earth is no exception, with one place more famous than most among its people. The facility was known by many fanciful names, from Dreamland to Paradise Ranch to Watertown Strip, but its most famous name, given to it through official documents of the CIA, was Area 51.

Officially, the site was barely acknowledged by the government of the United States, the only admission of its existence being as a testing ground near Groom Lake, Nevada, a fair distance away from downtown Las Vegas. According to what official records had been made public, the facility was a testing ground for advanced aircraft, prominent among them the U-2 spyplane and the aircraft that would eventually become the SR-71 Blackbird and the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter. The secrecy surrounding the site, coupled with anomalous activity in the region and a few outrageous claims from some that it in fact housed evidence of extraterrestrial contact with humanity, made it a major point of interest for conspiracy theorists, UFO buffs, and many a blogger and tabloid journalist with too much time at their disposal. 

Amusingly enough, for at least this autumn night with storm clouds brewing in the east, their claims were correct. Escorted by armed guards in Hummers painted for desert camouflage, many of the Autobots traveled down a lonely road towards the main facilities. Those with Mini-Con partners had them Powerlinked to their frames, the Race Team linked up to Optimus’s trailer alongside Over-Run while the Air Defense Team flew overhead. Absent was Jetfire, who flew high overhead and was no doubt giving an eager UFO watcher the night of their life. 

“I’ve heard some of the things they say about this place.” More than a little unease in his voice, Overhaul tried his best to keep it from showing as thunder sounded in the distance. “A lot of humans think this place stores spacecraft and wreckage from worlds other than Earth, and that what their government can find is salvaged and reverse-engineered. They also say that actual beings from other worlds live here, that development of advanced weapons is in progress at this facility.”  
Crosswise laughed with clear amusement. “They aren’t too far from the truth, are they?”

“What claims have been made here about Area 51 in the past aren’t within our ability to validate,” Optimus sternly said. “However, not long after our treaty was signed with the United States government, I authorized the transfer of specific computer information to specific personnel for development. Rollout went along to supervise the data’s usage and the refurbishment and construction of some sensitive materials. Those materials were delivered earlier by Landquake for final assembly and testing.”

“Whatever you say, boss-bot.” The brawler quietly added. “This place still gives me the creeps, though.”

A laugh sounded from one of the Mini-Cons. “If it makes you feel any better, Overhaul, we aren’t too far away from one of the most famous cities in the world. Las Vegas is a little over eighty miles away. Diana went there for her sister’s wedding, had quite the story to tell about her and her dad getting mugged. They made it out okay, met this eccentric crime scene investigator – Gil something or other – filed a police report and had a good story to tell afterwards.”

The green Autobot managed an impressed chuckle as they neared their destination within the base proper, a large aircraft hanger towards the southern edge of the base’s facilities. “Slag. I gotta ask her about that next time I see her.”

The convoy made its way into the mostly empty hangar, doors sliding shut behind them as personnel quietly filed out, armed airmen stationed inside. Waiting within, the large form of the Mini-Con Rollout at his side was Col. Franklin. “Gentlemen, welcome. I’m glad you were able to make it.”

Sparkplug disconnected from Optimus as the Autobot leader and his subordinates transformed, the other Mini-Cons doing likewise from his trailer as Runway’s team landed alongside them. “We’ve got a dangerous situation on our hands, Colonel, and I figure our little pet project would help to balance the odds. I’m surprised it was finished so quickly, however.”

The bulky red Mini-Con managed a small laugh. “Say what you want about the humans, Optimus, they don’t mess around.” He turned and pressed down on the button on a small remote control, a short beep quickly followed by the familiar sounds of motors whirring and gears shifting below their feet. As they watched, a corner of the hangar’s floor split and slid away as a platform rose into position. Resting atop it was a large red-orange and black carrier truck, with large cannon emplacements mounted towards the front end of its frame and Powerlinx ports on its sides. 

His optics alight with surprise, Jetstorm approached with amazement. “Is that what I think it is? I didn’t even think that got past the design stage!” 

Finding a harder time being impressed with the carrier, Crosswise looked to the Mini-Con and asked, “What is it?”

“Back when Megatron was beginning to mass forces after the Outsider Wars, we started work on designs for combat frames that could be piloted by a specially-linked Mini-Con operator, just in case we needed them to defend against another invasion.” Giving the device a pleased glance, the large Mini-Con sadly added, “We never finished the designs or started production before the Second War started, but what we had was passed on to Autobot scientists to finish. This is the final product, after some assembly and fueling here with human help. Full tritanium armor, long-range weapons systems, full transformation and Powerlinx capabilities, plus a little extra just in case it’s needed.”

The black Autobot gave an approving nod. “Not bad, but does this overloaded weapons platform work?”

The colonel gave a disappointed look. “The computer systems check out, but we haven’t had a chance to properly test it under optimal conditions.” 

“Then this mission will be its first full shakedown.” While he wasn’t thrilled with making use of an untested weapons platform, Optimus didn’t see much choice in the matter, and doubted that their new adversary would be kind enough to let them test it out. The familiar chime of his communicator diverted his attention. “Jetfire, report.”

_:“I got good news and bad news! Good news is that I found our new playmate! Bad news is, he’s heading our way at top speed from the northeast, and I doubt base security’s got what it takes to stop him!”:_

“He’s right. This base doesn’t have the defensive compliment necessary to hold back a unit of tanks, let alone something with that level of firepower.” Franklin looked up at the Autobot leader and suggested, “I’ll have them pull back, give you some breathing room.” 

“Thank you, colonel.” Optimus turned his attention back to his communicator. “Crosswise, Overhaul, with me! It’s time to roll out the welcome wagon for this thing! Jetfire, keep surveillance on that thing! We’re on our way!”

-

Narrowly dodging weapons fire from below, Jetfire called back, “Better hurry up with that welcome, because this guy’s really eager to say hi!”

Several thousand feet below him, the massive black semi that had heavily damaged Blurr rumbled across the desert, a cannon mounted on its truck bed lancing off bursts of fire against the large airborne Autobot. Despite some close calls, Jetfire had avoided being hit thus far, but he knew full well that wouldn’t last. 

Finally deciding that enough was enough, the Autobot second in command went into a dive and surged downwards, transforming to robot mode and flipping over as he did so, finally using the jet boosters in his feet to slow his descent and allow him a more peaceful landing as he skidded to a halt on the ground below. Comettor swiftly disconnected from his port and reconnected to another one upon his partner’s cannon, and Jetfire returned fire against the assailant. 

The massive black semi retaliated by transforming to robot mode and peppering the shuttle with machinegun fire from its smokestack guns. Jetfire braced himself and deflected the attack with his shield, frustrated that he’d barely laid a dent on the creature as it tutted in dissatisfaction. 

“Foolish. Barely worthy of my time.”

“Then try a taste of this!” Overhaul sped into the scene, swerved around Jetfire and used a large rock to get airborne before transforming and slamming down upon the ebon monstrosity. He was knocked away with one throw, and skidded to a halt nearby. With a savage growl, the brawler yelled out into the heavens, a white aura formed around his body. It shot skyward, then lanced back to him, pouring into a slot in his back seconds before a massive anchor-like burst of energy emerged from his chest, barreling towards the ebon entity. The blast struck, and knocked the creature to the ground, severely damaged. 

Jetfire’s optics widened in appreciation. “So that was a Cyber Key ability. I gotta get me one of those.”

The smaller Autobot chuckled. “Nah, you’ve got enough firepower.”

The two quickly returned their attention to their quarry as it rose from the ground, its armor swiftly regenerating and a faceplate reforming over its toothy mouth. “It seems you’ve begun to make use of your race’s older abilities. That won’t be enough.” 

“Well, we’ve got a bad habit of being really flexible.” Crosswise sped inbetween his fellow Autobots as he transformed and shot the creature a confident grin, an aura of blue energy forming around him. “And one good twist deserves another.” Just as with Overhaul, the aura shot from his frame and into the air before lancing back towards its sender, sliding into a slot in Crosswise’s back and flashing blue and silver before fading. Twin missile batteries came into position, and salvos were launched against their target, further damaging its armor. Crosswise then blasted it with his cannon, striking while the iron was hot. Jetfire swiftly joined in, the two pounding their foe with shot after shot and leaving Overhaul wishing he’d brought along a hand weapon. 

Their attack appeared to be working, until the beast shot forth a dark energy from its chest, blasting the three to the ground and knocking away their weapons. Beneath its chestplate, now shorn from its body, was a large purple-pink gem in a golden, hexagonal frame, its similarity to the Matrix not lost on the gathered Autobots. Their foe chuckled malevolently. “You fools. Shattering my armor has only unleashed my most terrible weapon. You have no defense against the Dead Matrix’s power. Now, prepare to be forever destroyed!”

Purple-colored streams of energy lanced forth from the gem, wildly zipping towards their targets, only to be stopped by a trio of blue shields. “You want them?” The entity turned and found his newest opponent, his chestplate slowly closing and the Star Saber in hand. Fury in his optics, Optimus declared, “You have to go through me.” 

The entity’s armor reformed itself, and it chuckled, his optics narrowed at the Autobot who had inspired his design. He had found his prey. “At last you face me.”

If the Autobot leader was at all intimidated by the strange being before him, he showed no sign. “I don’t know who you are or where you come from, but I won’t have anyone or anything purposely put innocents in danger. Leave or be destroyed!”

The entity laughed. “You have no concept of what you face. I am a dark reflection of what is within you, your deepest, darkest secrets. What I represent cannot be destroyed.”

The Autobot leader charged, sword at the ready. “But you can!” 

Its optics took on a sinister red glow as dark purple energies formed in its right hand, a sword to match the Star Saber taking form and catching the blade. “Perhaps, but that won’t be easy, now will it?”

Blades clashed once, twice, three times, neither Optimus nor his dark counterpart giving ground. Finding himself in deadlock with his opponent, the Autobot leader called out to the sidelines, “A little help?!”

“Coming!” A small distance away with the other Mini-Cons at Optimus’ trailer, Mirage prompted his team to combine into the Skyboom Shield. The combined weapon flew into the Autobot leader’s empty left hand, giving him slightly better odds against his opponent. 

The monster showed no fear at facing two Core Weapons. “A pair of Mini-Con weapons can do nothing to aid you, Prime. All you are doing is putting them in danger.”

“They understand the risks, better than anyone!” Blades continuing to clash, Optimus declared to his enemy, “They aid us, and we aid them! That won’t change anytime soon!”

The creature laughed. “Then I’ll have to be a little more thorough!” Before the young Prime could realize his opponent’s plans, the creature struck hard with a massive burst of energy from his free hand. Optimus was knocked away, the two Core Weapons flying from his hands and forced to separate into their individual components. The monster stood over his opponent and raised his sword high with satisfaction. “At last, it ends.” 

Suddenly, it was peppered with heavy weapons fire, bullets pounding into its armor and distracting it. From one corner, unblocked by any of his allies, came Rollout, hauling the massive combat frame behind him. “It’s only just started! Overload, Powerlink!”  
With those words, the combat frame separated from the large Mini-Con, then shifted and transformed into a partial humanoid form, parts of the chest as well as its head missing. Rollout reconnected in that empty space, panels shifting within his body to allow a head to emerge, a black helm and a blue face with brilliant neon green optics taking form. 

“It’s time you got a taste of what we can do!” Rollout called, the Overload unit’s weapons coming online. Seconds later, a massive volley of missiles lanced forth from the walking arsenal’s shoulders, pounding into the creature and knocking it back a small distance. He marched forward and extended a hand to Optimus. “Need a leg up?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.” The Autobot leader accepted the powered-up Mini-Con’s hand and slowly regained his footing. “Perfect timing.”

Recovering along with the other Cybertronians, Jetfire returned to his feet and gave an appreciative laugh at the combat frame and its operator. “Nice to see that thing works, not to mention lucky.” 

As the Autobots and Mini-Cons recollected themselves, the entity returned to its feet before it slowly rose into the air, still repairing itself even as it summoned a handgun from storage. “An impressive display, but ultimately futile. I’ll continue to rise again until you are weary, and then I shall wipe each of you out once and for all!”

“You don’t give up easily, do you?” Not about to back down, Optimus called back to his doppelganger, “Unfortunately for you, neither do we! Crosswise, Overhaul, cover us! Jetfire, Overload, with me!”

As Crosswise retrieved his gun and Overhaul returned to his feet, the three larger Autobots underwent a series of transformations. Jetfire tossed his shield and gun to Optimus, who deftly caught the gun and allowed the shield to latch onto his back. The red semi, meanwhile, shifted into the familiar form of his Super Mode’s upper body. Overload shifted as well, Rollout disconnecting and allowing the large weapons frame to latch up to the Autobot leader’s back. The shuttle, meanwhile, transformed into a lower body and a pair of legs, taking the trailer’s place and latching up with Optimus’s waist as the combat frame’s twin cannons dropped into place over the Autobot leader’s shoulders, a flash of lightning in the distance coinciding with the completed transformation as the rain began to fall around them. 

One secret weapon rarely utilized by the Autobots save under rare circumstances, was the combination of its two highest-ranked commanders. An early experiment in expanding Powerlinx capabilities to allow for the combination of two or more larger Cybertronians, Optimus and Jetfire had been modified so that the shuttle could effectively replace his commander’s trailer in its Super Mode configuration. While powerful and allowing Optimus greater speed and maneuverability as well as flight capabilities, it had one glaring problem. As was obvious to anyone, the two combined went from being two big targets to one large one. Thus, their combined ‘Jet Mode’ form was rarely used. However, while the addition of the Overload unit would hurt their maneuverability, it would significantly boost their firepower, and the new ‘Magna Jet Mode’ would thus help even the odds. 

Their systems recovered, the members of the Air Defense Teams once more shifted and combined into the Star Saber, flying into the fully-powered Optimus’ right hand and taking on a magnificent blue glow. The Race Team, meanwhile, did likewise, merging into the Skyboom Shield and landing in Crosswise’s hands as the monster hunter and Overhaul prepared to continue their attack, the brawler now carrying Rollout in his weapon mode. 

Their opponent watched with bemused laughter, not at all afraid of the newly combined Autobot before him. “You think that a paltry combination can defeat me? It is nothing.”

The Autobot leader was undeterred. “We’ll see about that, ‘Nemesis Prime’. Autobots, open fire!”

Armed with their respective weapons, the three let loose against their enemy, pinning him in the air and corralling him into optimum striking position. With their target fully zeroed in, Optimus called out, “NOW!” as his two subordinates once more activated their Cyber Key abilities, sending another volley against the monster and damaging it further. Before it could finish repairing itself, the Autobot leader opened fire with the Overload unit’s cannons, blowing larger chunks out of the demon and blanketing the surrounding air in a cloud of smoke. 

As he slowly recovered, completely enshrouded by mist and cloud, the herald laughed. “Foolish Children of Primus. All they have done is blind themselves–!”

A sudden sharp burst forced his silence as the smoke cleared. It looked down upon its chest, its midsection cleaved straight through by the Matrix-charged blade of the Star Saber, Optimus Prime at the other end. Fully aware of its defeat, the herald chuckled. “Well done, Optimus Prime. Know this, however. This is not the last that you have seen of… ‘Nemesis Prime,’ you called me? Thank you for the name. I quite like it.”

With those words, Nemesis Prime’s body crumpled, shattered, and disintegrated, the Dead Matrix within its chest vanish in a burst of light, leaving only the Autobots and Mini-Cons as the rain began to abate. 

-

Despite the fact that this did anything but bode well, Starscream couldn’t help but be impressed at Dualor’s ingenuity as he checked over the transport logs. “Just as I’d thought. They’ve been beaming elsewhere on this moon, a site-to-site jump to a second receiver, and automatically wiping the computer each time. They didn’t quite finish the job, just going far enough to make it look convincing to the untrained optic, but still, not bad.”

“What good would that do them?” A small distance away, Mudflap quickly asked, “They didn’t take enough to build a base or anything like that, just enough for communications equipment and this transport unit, maybe a CR Chamber or two.” 

“I never said anything about them building a base. It’s more like they’re building some sort of camp out on the lunar surface, preparing something.” That still begged the question of why, but it may have explained why the Autobots kept on finding empty Mini-Con pods. “We’d best inform the others of this turn of events and get a plan together. If Dualor’s going to do what I think he is, we’ll need to get out of here as quickly as we can lest we get caught in the crossfire.”

“But what about Megatron? You said that you would report to him on why everything was missing, didn’t you?” The blue Decepticon looked to the red Seeker with concern. “You’re going to need to come up with some explanation.”

“I’ll tell him that I needed to modify some of the components to replace damaged parts on my solar arrays. He won’t be happy about it, but he’ll accept that as an explanation.” Turning away from the console, Starscream added, “Besides, I suspect Dualor has a helping of irony planned for Megatron. Whether that will work or not, I’m not certain, but he may as well get a chance to try.”

-

Now separated from Optimus and the Overload unit, Jetfire managed an impressed laugh. “Well, I’d say the new system passed with flying colors. We beat off that knockoff, tested a new weapons platform, and made the world safe for Mini-Con retrieval again.” 

“A victory if I’ve ever seen one.” Optimus watched as Rollout recombined with the combat frame. “Well done, Rollout. Thank you. That Overload unit seems to suit you.” 

“Thanks.” Looking down at the combat frame’s hands with some pride, the Mini-Con smiled. “I think this is going to get a lot of use down the road. Next we see him, Megatron won’t know what hit him.”

Relishing that next confrontation, Overhaul turned to his commander and asked, “Well, now that we’ve shown that black repaint who he’s messing with, how about we go back to base and get back to our regular jobs?”

The Autobot commander nodded and activated his communicator. “Optimus to _Ark_ , the situation’s been handled. Ready for beam-out.”

_:“Understood. Also, I’ve some good news to report.”:_ Relief clear in his voice, Red Alert continued, _:“Blurr’s making an excellent recovery. He’ll be back on active duty by this time next mega-cycle.”:_

“Glad to hear it. We still have a long way to go, and we’ll need every mech we can get.” With a proud glance to the now-taller Mini-Con, he added, “And the more, the merrier.”

“As much as I hate to spoil the moment, we’ve now got three of these things to deal with, and one of them hasn’t even revealed himself yet.” Crosswise turned to his commander with concerned optics. “What’s stopping there from being more, and what do we do once the rest of them show up?”

“Nothing’s stopping more from coming,” the red semi admitted. “However, I doubt Sideways or Nemesis Prime will return in the immediate future. And should they return, or any of their allies appear, we’ll fight them as best we can.” He turned to the skies, the clouds drifting past to reveal the stars high above. “Right now, however, we have more immediate concerns to deal with. If we’re lucky, we’ll get to take care of them before we see either of those heralds again.”

The familiar beam of light signaling an orbital jump appearing from above, Jetfire quietly hoped that his old friend was right. They still had a long way to go. 

-

Elsewhere, Nemesis Prime’s form reconstituted itself, another watching from the shadows. “You toyed with them a bit too much.” 

The herald flexed his fingers before dismissively replying. “I did no better than you, Sideways. At least I’ve managed to damage one of them. He’ll be repaired, no question, but for the time being, the Autobots will be collecting themselves. And our friend will continue to keep watch. Then the real hunt shall begin.”

The End


End file.
